The Gang's All Here!

Family Photos from August 2015

So happy to be together!

Tough guys.

 They love having a sister.

My joy.

 Father Daughter Love.

A mama and her boys.

My boys and the 15 year old almost 50 year old I married.

Love!

So Much Gratitude

We have had one incredible and memorable week.  On Wednesday, August 12th, after 2 long years Elder Jeremy Nelson came home from serving an honorable mission in the New Mexico Farmington Mission.  Wow, he really grew specifically over the last few months of his mission.  I wondered what he had learned and how he loved God, our Savior, others and himself.  He's always been a talker.  In fact, he talks and talks and talks.  I kinda think he comes by that pretty naturally being related to me and all.  But he didn't talk that much about growth in his letters up until he served in Dilkon, AZ among the Navajo people.  He came to that area with a very negative report by the companion he was serving with right after the transfer to Dilkon.  He worked and worked as hard as he could, but not a lot of success or joy came of it.  At the next transfer, he received a companion that stretched him to the breaking point of a missionary.  They didn't like each other at all.  They tried to tough it out for a while, but, again, success and joy eluded them both.  Then they turned to the only one who could "fix" the problem; they began to fast and pray.  They did that for the people of Dilkon and for their companionship.  Humbling themselves worked like nothing else could.  They began to see what God sees in the people they served and they began to love them with Christ-like love.  Miracles began to happen.  Not only for the people of Dilkon and for their companionship, but for my precious boy as well.  I am so proud of the man he's becoming.  

On that Wednesday, we went to the Pasco airport at about lunchtime to pick him up.  The airline must have known how eager I was to give him a hug as they kept moving up the arrival time of the plane.  It was so wonderful to see him again!  

What a fantastic day that was.

The following Monday brought something else that would also change our family.  The mailman delivered this:  

 Mykalyn received her mission call.  She turns 19 at the end of October and she made her availability date for November 1.  Pulling that envelope out of the mailbox made the reality of her leaving oh so real to me, but I am so proud of her decision serve.  She has prepared herself with study, prayer, journaling and temple attendance.  She serves as the 1st counselor in Primary in our ward, she loves people and lives what she learns.  I am so proud to be her mother.

Anyway, she made us wait clear until Wednesday night to find out where she would be serving.  I didn't much mind the wait because that meant I could put off the thoughts of her leaving that much longer.   But Wednesday came and among friends and family, we found that she would be serving in the Colorado Denver North Mission, reporting on November 18th.  Yes, that means no Thanksgiving or Christmas 2016 or 2017 with our little Blondie.  That will be some hard times ahead for a mama who has a daughter as one of her best friends, but I guess you can't miss them if they aren't gone, right? :(  Just trying to look on the bright side of things.  She will be an awesome missionary and I am so happy that she will have this growth experience to call her own.  

That was our eventful week.  This year has been one giant adventure after another starting with our Stake adding two more wards to it in March and our family being in one of the newly formed wards (created about 50%/50% from two wards) and with me serving as the RS President, then we moved to a new to us home in May (in that ward) and worked on renting out the other house - water damage, removing two big trees to save the septic system, replacing a window, screen and blind when Mother Nature was ticked with us cutting down and tree and sent a tree branch into the window, air conditioning problems, water heater problems and the need to paint the rooms at the old house "neutral colors" because renters wouldn't like the two pink bedrooms (BTW: the renters ended up having two children - both girls who LOVE the color pink) and a few other things that just about sent us over the landlord edge, but we made it.  Now we've had these great experiences to add to the year and the fact that Tyler made the USU football team as a running back so we are looking forward to going to some football games.  I have sure missed watching my boys in that sport in my life.  Brigster starts high school this year and that's all new as well.  I'm back to driving carpool for the next two years.  Hopefully, the bus will be a good alternative - at least for pick up in the afternoon!  I am thinking that around January, things might just slow down.  Looking forward to the future!

My FAVORITE daughter

I simply love this girl.  The minute she was born Mike said, "Look! It's your best friend!"  She's working on 4.0ing her Junior year and then has one more before she's off on a mission.  Boy, she makes me proud!

 

 

CABLE BRIDGE RUN 2013

Times this year:

Tyler 30:07

Brigam 31:18

Mykalyn and Mike 35:36

Mama and Cheyenne 54:10

OK, so Chey and I walked or strolled the whole thing.  Maybe next year we will stroll FASTER!

Mama and the Brigster!

Encouragement begets encouragement

About a month ago, Mike got up early to take the kids snowboarding.  I mean like 5 am early and everyone else with him - including me.  I wasn't up that early to go snowboarding, I was up that early making them all hot cocoa to drink with their lunch.  A tradition that started some time ago when I was happy to get up at 5 am to make a huge batch of cocoa.  Anyhow, unlike them, I get to go back to my warm bed after my cocoa creation is complete.  But this morning, when I woke up  - for the second time - I opened my bedroom door and found a sweet love note from Brigam on the floor.  It made me smile so I stuck it to my door.  5 am cocoa creation time was totally worth it that day.

Isn't that so sweet? 

Well, this morning as I was walking past it for the (about) 100th time, I just had to tell Brigam why I kept it there. "Brigam," I said, "I just want to let you know why I keep this love note you gave me on my door and why it hasn't found it's way into my 'love notes' book yet.  It's because every time I walk past it, it makes me smile and that makes me happy, so thanks again for my love note.'

He gave me the obligatory 'Welcome' and I continued on with my morning.  About 20 minutes later he told me to come upstairs. As I obediently walked the steps, this is what I saw:

 

 

He had completely covered my door with his pad of sticky notes - all love notes for me.  I guess that kid likes it when I smile and am happy.  Now I have no excuse to be grumpy - that is as long as I am standing in front of my bedroom door!

 

Thanks Brigam!  You're my smile creator!

The DASH

My dad read this poem at church this past Sunday.  It is really thought provoking, just like General Conference was the week before.  I just wanted to always have it to remind me of my purpose while here on this journey.

The Dash 

by Linda Ellis copyright 1996

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone,
from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,but he said what mattered most of allwas the dash between those years.

 

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

 

For it matters not, how much we own,
the cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

 

So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

 

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and realand always try to understand
the way other people feel.

 

And be less quick to anger
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.

 

If we treat each other with respectand more often wear a smile,remembering that this special dashmight only last a little while.

 

So, when your eulogy is being read,
with your life’s actions to rehash…
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent YOUR dash?

 

Mission Papers

So we are now getting ready for our second boy to go on a mission.  Jeremy had his missionary interview with the our Stake President - President Call this evening.  I wasn't there to take a photo of him getting the car to drive over to his appointment, but I was there to take photos of his well needed rest afterwards.  :)

I took lots of pictures because I knew that he would like to remember what his room looked like when he is gone from it for two years - and also because he won't recognize it when he gets back - it's gonna be changed shortly after he leaves, but I don't think he knows that yet!

"Burying himself in the scriptures"

 

 

A face only a mother could love

 

Still studying......

 

That is a scary look, but I am just going to take it as an extra large "EYE HUG" for his ever loving mama

The view from Jeremy's bed - door to ceiling.  I know he'll want to remember that view....

 

 

Jeremy's very own "title of liberty"

 

How the boy felt about the whole interview- he is ready to go

 

Two boys and their technology - that boy is going to miss his cell phone and text messaging for sure!

Tyler's EXTRA LARGE foot

Love it for now, Jeremy, love it for now. 

 

And just to let you know - Yo Mama is so proud of you!